GED Integrated Solutions, assignee of the present invention sells welding machines that are used in the fabrication of residential and commercial windows and doors. These welding machines weld frame and/or sash components together into an assembled product. GED model numbers SW7000 and SW6000 Four Point Welders have a capability of producing several layers of window frames and sashes simultaneously in a single, stacked configuration. These welders can also be equipped with frame/sash ejection options that speed up the unloading of the assembled frames in with an automated method.
These welders can further be automated and integrated into a conveyor for offloading and transporting assembled frames or sashes to an automated cleaner. This reduces the time and labor to transport to a cleaning station. For vinyl products the cleaning station removes PVC flash and burrs that are created during a welding/fusing process.
A manual prior art system presently in use with these two four point welders can take several seconds (about 40 to 80 seconds) to load a multi-tiered stacked configuration. While the welder is being loaded, it is not welding any product and is therefore not being fully utilized to produce product.